At the end of an exhausting homeschool
convention, a woman approaches our booth, balancing a child
on her hip. "What is logic?" My mind is dragged from the
price calculation I was making. . . "What did you ask?"
"Oh," she smiles, "I just wondered if you could explain
your life philosophy." I should clear up some of these frequently
asked questions about logic before the next convention.

What is logic?

Is logic just common sense? Common sense differs from person to
person. From my experience, one man's absurdity may be another man's
common sense. Logic is not founded on opinion.

Is logic that complex stuff computer programmers learn? Computer
programmers use complex forms of logic. Not all logic is complex.
Logic is like math. Scientists use advanced mathematics, while ordinary
people use simple math. Without knowing it, you use simple logic
throughout the day.

Is logic "the science of thinking?" No, that is psychology
- the study of the way humans think and feel. The science of logic
has more to do with arguments themselves.

Logic is the science of correct reasoning. Logic teaches standards
for how to discern good reasoning from bad reasoning. There are
many different ways of looking at an argument: Informal Fallacies,
Categorical Syllogisms, Modern Symbolic Logic, and Hypothetical
Scientific Reasoning.

Is logic a method for attacking people and making them feel bad?

This is not a problem with logic. This is a problem with the way
people argue. There is no reason to be afraid of logic. There are
times I have pointed at my mother and criticized her for how illogical
she was. Instead, I should have been looking back at myself and
criticizing my lack of concern for her feelings. There are two types
of arguments. There are those arguments which leave bruises on people.
There are also thoughtful arguments between calm people who use
logic to get to the bottom of an issue. We need more of the latter
type of arguments.

Should Christians use logic? Don't we have faith?

Faith and logic are not opposed to one another. Faith establishes
the principles from which we reason logically. The Bible teaches
that God is logical. The Bible
says that God does not contradict Himself, and when God declares
that something is true, then it is really true.

Shouldn't we leave logic to the experts?

I believe everyone should be their own logician. Four hundred years
ago, the Reformers used the expression "the priesthood of the
believer" to teach that everyone should have access to God
without the need of a religious priest to stand in between. This
idea applies in other areas. We should not rely on someone else
to discern the truth for us. If we do, then we are not our own priest
of knowledge. If we learn some basic logic, then we can judge for
ourselves what other people say.

Isn't logic too hard for ordinary people?

True, ordinary people do not study logic. We reveal this lack by
how easily we are manipulated. We turn and run when someone demands
that we use our mind. Mr. Joe Gas-station-attendant is not interested
in developing his thought life. He is happy when he leaves his mind
undisturbed. May I suggest that God has a much different vision
for His people.

Logic is within the reach of ordinary people - Dads and Moms, and
their children too. Many Homeschooling parents are teaching logic
to their children right now, and though they are finding it is a
challenge, they are taking a big step in the right direction.

Was logic invented by an pagan philosopher named Aristotle?

St. Augustine, a Christian in the fourth century, answered this
question. Augustine explained that logic is not an invention of
pagan philosophers, as some men objected, but a science which man
has learned from God.

"...[T]he validity of logical sequences
is not a thing devised by men, but is observed and noted by them....
...t exists eternally in the reason of things, and has its origin
with God.

Logic is not a dubious non-Christian method of reasoning. All of
the fundamental laws of logic can be found in the Bible.

Is God logical?

By logical I am asking: (1) does God contradict Himself, and (2)
when He says that something is true, then is it really true? By
logical I do not claim that everything which God says must be understandable
to us, so that we can explain it. The doctrine of the Trinity is
an example of this. What the Bible teaches about the Trinity is
true and not contradictory: God is one being and three persons,
not one person and three persons. To be one person and three persons
at the same time would be a contradiction. Yet we do not fully understand
the Trinity, and we have no way of explaining it. The Bible has
clear answers to the question of whether God is logical or not.

God can not lie.

In hope of eternal life, which God, that
cannot lie, promised before the world began. . . -Titus 1:2.

That by two immutable things, in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation.
. . -Hebrews 6:18.

God is not a man, that he should lie;
neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and
shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it
good? -Numbers 23:19.

. . . [God] will not lie nor repent:
for he is not a man, that he should repent. -1 Samuel 15:29.

. . . ye know [the truth], and that no
lie is of the truth. -1 John 2:21.

Truthfulness is part of God's character. God is Truth, He is not
above truth.

He is the Rock, his work is perfect:
for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity,
just and right is he. -Deuteronomy 32:4.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
but the word of our God shall stand for ever. -Isaiah 40:8.

But He is in one mind, and who can turn
him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. -Job 23:13.

A double minded man is unstable in all
his ways. -James 1:8.

Don't we naturally learn to think logically?

This is a difficult question. I believe God originally gave me
a logical mind. But, I have had too much time to corrupt that. I
twist my reasoning to suit my scruples. If I make no effort to discipline
my thinking, then I accept arguments because they fit into what
I want to believe. I am logically lazy . . . or lazy logically.
I do not naturally learn to think logically. As God awakens me to
the need for more critical thinking skills, I am realizing how far
my standards of thinking have fallen.

We need to discipline our minds to think logically. Thinking is
work, and work is more profitable after some training.

Can't we learn to think by reading books written by great men?

No. Great men do have great minds, and reading their works may
strengthen our own mind. But we would not learn logic in a systematic
way. Many of those great men advise us to study logic! Also, even
great men make mistakes. We need to be able to recognize their mistakes.

Will learning logic help us understand other school subjects?

Logic is foundational to the study of every other subject. Learning
to read is a basic skill without which students are crippled. Learning
to think is just as basic. When I write an essay, I use logic to
determine if my conclusion follows from what I've written. When
I study to give a report on Napoleon, I use logic to decide which
historian has interpreted the evidence about Napoleon's life the
most accurately. When I am studying the Bible, I use logic to pull
together different statements in the Bible to deduce that God is
sovereign over every area of my life. We already use logic in every
subject without knowing it. The question is, are we using enough
logic?

Logic can help us do all of these things:

Listen to presidential debates to know which side is trying
to fool us the most.

Determine if a theory about the Bible is reliable, or just a
big speculation. (Logic is an innoculate against many theological
germs.)

Who should study logic with the children?

I am going to make a controversial statement. Fathers need to learn
logic themselves. Mothers have been carrying enough burdens teaching
their children, and it is high time fathers became more than the
principal of their Homeschool. As a father takes the time to sit
down beside his children and teach them how to use their minds,
he gives part of himself to them. He gives more than just the answers
to his children's questions. He can impart a love for learning which
can only happen at home.